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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23008075">Playwright Blues</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosePetalSlingshot/pseuds/RosePetalSlingshot'>RosePetalSlingshot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Character, Bittersweet, F/F, Lesbian Character, Moving On, Original Character(s), Romance, this has been sitting in my notes for a while so here</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:07:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,194</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23008075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosePetalSlingshot/pseuds/RosePetalSlingshot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Relationships don’t always last but that doesn’t mean they didn’t matter.</p>
<p>Some stories don’t end with a breakup and neither do the people in them.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>Alternatively: this bittersweet one shot written for a literary magazine that I never got around to submitting.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Playwright Blues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The water beneath the two of them glittered in the sunset. Shouts and splashing carried up from the pool below as their class jumped right in. Tara watched them for a few minutes, recognizing some kids from home room racing to the other side. </p>
<p>A contented sigh drew her attention back. </p>
<p>There was Beth beside her. Her usual heavy jacket had been tied around her waist and she was leaning back on her hands, enjoying the cool breeze. Tara let her eyes wander across her face until Beth opened one eye. </p>
<p>She only grinned as she caught Tara starring. Covering her face, Tara focused back in on the kids below. Some guys had set up a game of chicken. Tara startled as a hand covered her own and starred dumbly at Beth's for a moment, blinking. One freckled finger tapped the back of her hand and Tara met the other girls eyes. </p>
<p>"What're you thinking about?"</p>
<p>Tara swallowed and shrugged. She'd like to say something romantic like maybe <em>‘you’</em>. But she couldn't get her mouth to form the words. It wouldn't be entirely true anyways but Tara would rather pitch herself from this cliff than ruin the moment.</p>
<p>"I don't know, everything?" She said helplessly after a moment.</p>
<p>Beth huffed for a moment before scooting a bit closer to her. Tara looked down at their hands again.</p>
<p>"You ever think someone might actually call the cops?" Beth was using her other hand to pluck blades of grass from the ground.</p>
<p>Tara looked back down at the pool below. It wasn't really a pool more than a large, man made lake. It used to a quarry until it flooded a while back. People say if you dive down deep enough you could still find the rusted out machinery at the bottom.</p>
<p>"Probably not." Tara watched as Beth neatly placed the grass into an orderly line on top of her leg. "Considering people have been out here so long. It's pretty out of the way too."</p>
<p>"Good thing, huh?"</p>
<p>Tara was taken aback by the wolfish grin on Beth's face. Before she could even hope to think of something in response, the other girl was laughing.</p>
<p>“Relax, Tara, I'm just joking," Beth gave her hand a little pat.</p>
<p>Something turned in Tara's stomach. Part of her wasn't joking, she knew that much. It was just...</p>
<p>“I'm not."</p>
<p>“Hmm?" Beth turned to her, head cocked the side. </p>
<p>Before she could talk herself out of it, Tara leaned forward and just barely pressed her lips to Beth's. As quickly as the thought struck her, Tara was pulling back. Her face was on fire as she tried to find something interesting to look at up above them.</p>
<p>“Hey." Tara looked down but didn't turn her head. Beth was smiling, a small thing but it was there. Her cheeks were a bit darker too. "You don't have to-"</p>
<p>“I wanted to," Tara said quietly. And she did, really. She also just had to be looking at anything other than Beth for a moment. Still, she heard Beth laugh and couldn't help but smile too. </p>
<p>“I think that's, what, the third time you kissed me?"</p>
<p>"We kissed lots of times!" Tara spluttered.</p>
<p>"Yeah but it’s always the other way around!" Beth was smiling as she gently knocked their shoulders together.</p>
<p>It was true. But Tara figured there wasn't a better a time than now considering.</p>
<p>“Do you think..." Tara frowned, staring into her lap, "do you think we'll be different people when we see each other again?"</p>
<p>They were going their separate ways after graduation. Tara got accepted to her dream college out of state. A plane ride and countless miles away. Beth was, of course, thrilled. It was probably a testament to the kind of person she was that Beth never once suggested she stay. Even if Tara thought about it once or twice.</p>
<p>Beth shrugged. "Probably. People change all the time, right? I think most people hope they turn out different from how they were in high school."</p>
<p>“Yeah," Tara said absentmindedly, glancing over at their hands.</p>
<p>“Hey," she said with a grin, "if you'll still have me after you hit the big time, I'd be honored." </p>
<p>She huffed a laugh. "I don't think I'd ever get that famous."</p>
<p>“I don't know," Beth drawled, "the writer money is pretty tempting. My only condition is that you'll make a character for me."</p>
<p>Tara pretended to think about it. "Hmm, maybe. Do I get to kill you off?"</p>
<p>“Hey!"</p>
<p>
  ---------
</p>
<p>
  "Beth."
</p>
<p>
  The woman across from Tara smiled. It was different from when they were in high school but still familiar enough to dredge up memories.
</p>
<p>
  "Tara, it's good to see you again."
</p>
<p>
  “Yeah," Tara fiddled with the wine glass in her hand. She looked so different now... "You cut your hair."
</p>
<p>
  Beth blinked before raising a hand to give it an absentminded ruffle. "I did. Got it done senior year in college and stuck with it. Definitely less maintenance."
</p>
<p>
  A silence lapsed between them for a moment. Tara's eyes lingered on the ring on Beth's hand. She absentmindedly turned her own on her finger.
</p>
<p>
  Beth must've seen where she was looking. Something flashed across her face for a moment before it was gone. Her smile was a bit smaller this time.
</p>
<p>
  “Have you met Drew?" 
</p>
<p>
  "No." But apparently he made the little sausage wraps. They were pretty good.
</p>
<p>
  "I saw your wedding photos," Beth said after a moment. "I'm happy for you two."
</p>
<p>
  “Thanks," Tara smiled a bit. "I'll tell Abby you said so."
</p>
<p>
  Another awkward silence. Tara couldn't look at Beth, knowing she'd try to dissect her thoughts just from a smile. She took a sip of her wine just to give herself something to do. 
</p>
<p>
  “I read your book."
</p>
<p>
  Her eyes snapped back to Beth. She had crossed the room to the shelves of books before her. After looking for a moment, Tara spotted the familiar covers. All of them. 
</p>
<p>
  Beth smiled. "You thought I wouldn't read them?"
</p>
<p>
  Tara had hoped she wouldn't.
</p>
<p>
  “No, I figured you would." 
</p>
<p>
  It'd been a couple years since she'd gotten something published. It was short stories at first, then a full fledged novel. Before she knew it that novel had become a series.
</p>
<p>
  She wasn't in all of them but Beth was in countless drafts that went nowhere and short stories she never did anything with. Beth was there since the beginning, in her first novel, different only in name.
</p>
<p>
  “I can't help but notice you didn't kill me off," Beth teased.
</p>
<p>
  Tara moved her eyes elsewhere. "How could I? Everyone loved you in those books."
</p>
<p>
  She never intended to make a series. Tara had already published her first novel and was well through the second when she met Abby. She'd told her about it years ago and Tara could tell that she didn't quite get it. But still, her wife didn't raise any complaints. Not that Tara didn't feel a bit guilty anyways.
</p>
<p>
  Beth's eyes shone with something else. "I'm glad I got to see you again."
</p>
<p>
  After a moment, Tara raised her glass in a mock toast. "Me too, Beth. Me too."
</p>
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